NEW DELHI: Releasing the book, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat said Hindutva calls for striking a balance and believes in taking everyone along. Unlike other practices which consider only themselves supreme, Hindutava believes in respecting other faiths as well, he said, adding that national renaissance is based on national values and we must strengthen own country. Referring to Dr. Swamy's book, he said it should not be perceived as propaganda, but as research. In his book "Hindutva And National Renaissance", released here on Monday, former Union Minister Subramanian Swamy has attempted to define the term Hindutva, place it in context with the current world order and also de-stigmatise the word.Speaking about the book, Dr. Swamy, said he was questioned by the academia about the choice of including the word "Hindutva" in the title itself. Pointing out that there is a need to create greater public awareness about the word and what it denotes, Dr. Swamy compared it to the Swastika, the symbol that became associated with its usage by Nazi Germany and therefore got stigmatised."It (Hindutva), like the Hitler's use of Swastika, has got a bad name, but it does not mean that we don't use it," Dr. Swamy said. Renaissance is renewal in modern form and many thinkers have spoken about renaissance and Hindutva together, he said, adding that India is still looked at for spiritual awakening and foreign nationals still throng to India or ashrams abroad for seeking peace and ways to be happy.Dr. Swamy said Hindutva needs to be translated into various aspects and in his book he has dealt with Hindutava in context with national security, and even commerce. "Hindutva has to be protected and we need an instrument for that," he said.Referring to the various legal battles that he has initiated, Dr. Swamy said he draws inspiration from Swami Dayanand Saraswati who encourages him to fight on. "Swamiji asked me to file a petition on the Ram Setu issue and in that faith I filed it and we managed to get a stay and the Supreme Court asked the government to find an alternative route," he said.Speaking at the function Man. Sudarshan ji said the history of Hindus is very old and only in Hindustan people called DHARTIMATA (Motherland) other says fatherland etc.He congratulated to Dr. Swamy for release of his book ''Hindutva And National Renaissance.Sh. Ashok Singhal ji also praised Dr.Swamy for his book on Hindutva and appeal to the audience that they must read this book.Swami Dayanand Saraswati gave his blessings to Dr. Swamy.

Suspected ISI agent Javed Mozawala signed up for the party's youth wing eight months ago after Rahul Gandhi's mass membership drive for the Indian Youth CongressRahul Gandhi's impassioned exhorts to youngsters to join the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) a few months back found resonance in some unlikely quarters too.

They managed to inspire an alleged mole from the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to climb aboard the Grand Old Party's youth wing.

Rahul Gandhi's oratorial skills and power of persuasion ensured that lakhs of youngsters, including Mozawala, enrolled for the youth chapter of India's Grand Old Party

Eight months ago, Gandhi had appealed to the country's youth to join the IYC to boost his supporter base. Following his entreaty, lakhs of youngsters had signed up for membership of the party's youth chapter.As it turns out, one of them was Javed Abdul Gafoor Mozawala (28), recently arrested by the Mumbai Crime Branch on charges of forgery, spying on the country and violating the Official Secrets Act.

Mozawala reportedly enrolled himself from ward number 222 in south Mumbai.

"A total of 1,390 youth joined the Congress Party from ward number 222 eight months back.

Among them, Mozawala had also filled a membership form," said a youth leader from south Mumbai, on condition of anonymity.

Sources from the party told MiD DAY that he was sponsored by Naved Shaikh, son of oil mafioso Mohammad Ali Shaikh, allegedly a Dawood Ibrahim aide arrested for the murder of diesel don Chand Madar.

Naved has spent around Rs 25 lakh in the way of membership fees for various aspiring members including Mozawala.

The idea was to ascend the ladder and become a party suzerain by initiating as many youngsters as possible into the youth wing.But, Naved was kicked out of the party after his father's alleged underworld links were exposed.The new inducteeMumbai Crime Branch officials arrested Mozawala on December 10 from his residence at Infinity Tower in Mazgaon.

He was produced in the Killa Court yesterday where Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate V V Bambarde remanded him to police custody until December 22.

Mozawala alleged in court that he had been subjected to third-degree torture by cops during interrogation.

Spy story

According to the police, Mozawala, an alleged close associate of Chhota Shakeel, had been relaying sensitive information to two Pakistani diplomats on deputation at the Pakistani High Command in Delhi.

The Crime Branch has recorded the statements of Mozawala's confederates Munir Khan and Fakir Ali as well. Both attested to the fact that Mozawala is an ISI accessory.

Mozawala's brother, Asif, and his wife, however, rubbished the allegations.

The Other SideJaved Juneza, Congress president, Mumbadevi constituency, said, "I don't know the details but I believe he could have enrolled in the party's youth wing through open membership."

By questioning the legitimacy of India's sovereignty over Jammu & Kashmir, Beijing may be creating a future option for questioning New Delhi's locus standi to negotiate the future of the Indian territory in the Ladakh area under Chinese occupation. China could aggressively use this option if its relations with India were to deteriorate

Since January, 2010, there have been references by Chinese officials and media to the length of the Sino-Indian border as about 2,000 km. The People's Daily reported on January 7: "China and India share a nearly 2,000-km border and disputed areas cover about 1,25,000 sq km on both sides." The "2,000-km-long" boundary was mentioned in the China Daily in August 2009 in a report on the 13th round of boundary talks between the two sides. After the 14th round of the border talks held at Beijing on November 29 and 30, 2010 by Mr Shiv Shankar Menon, India's National Security Adviser, and Mr Dai Bingguo, the Chinese State Councillor, there were three important commentaries on the talks in the Chinese media — by the party-controlled Global Times, by Mr Zhou Gang, a former Chinese Ambassador to India, in the Beijing Review and by Mr Cheng Ruisheng, another former Chinese Ambassador to India, in an interview to the Chinese news channel CCTV.

The Global Times commentary said that the Chinese Government's position was that both countries "will take into consideration each other's concerns, and work toward an equitable and justified settlement of border issues that is acceptable to both sides". However, it quoted Mr Zhao Gancheng, a leading Chinese strategist, as saying "Indian activities near the border" and "remarks made by senior Indian officials who played up the China threat" had "harmed the chances" of reaching a quick resolution. It did not make any reference to the length of the Sino-Indian border.

However, the comments of the two former Chinese Ambassadors to India made specific references to the length of the border. Mr Gang was quoted as saying, "The Sino-Indian border stretches for about 2,000 km, and the two countries have never officially mapped it out. For a long time, the two sides abided by a traditional customary line based on their respective administrative regions." Mr Ruisheng was quoted as saying, "China and India share roughly a 2,000 kilometer border which has never been formally delineated."

In subsequent reports as curtain raisers to the just concluded visit of Prime Minister Wen Jiabao to New Delhi from December 15 to 17, 2010, sections of the Chinese media specified the approximate length of the Sino-Indian border as about 2,000 km. A Xinhua report from Beijing disseminated before the departure of Mr Jiabao to India described the Sino-Indian border as nearly 2,000-km long. Xinhua's reference was reportedly based on an official briefing by the Assistant Foreign Minister of China, Mr Hu Zhengyue to the Beijing Press corps on December 13. On December 14, in an interview with the Indian Ambassador to China, Mr S Jaishankar, the Global Times asked about the reported tensions on the border. In response, Mr Jaishankar said, "The reality contradicts any alarmist depiction of the situation on the border, whether in India or in China. We have a long common border of 3,488 km." In publishing the interview the Global Times chose to add the following comments: "There is no settled length of the common border. The Chinese Government often refers to the border length as being 'about 2,000 km'."

India has always been estimating the approximate length of the Sino-Indian border as about 3,500 kms in all the three sectors — Eastern, middle and Western — taken together. While it is about 2,000 kms in the Eastern and the middle sectors taken together, it is another about 1,500 kms long in the Western sector in Jammu & Kashmir. China, which had never openly questioned the Indian estimate of the length of the common border before, is now unilaterally seeking to exclude from consideration during the border talks the dispute between India and China over the Chinese occupation of a large territory in the Ladakh sector of Jammu & Kashmir. In fact, it is seeking to question India's locus standi to discuss with China the border in the Jammu & Kashmir area in view of Pakistan's claims to this area. It is trying to bring in Pakistan as an interested party in so far as the border talks regarding the Western sector are concerned. It wants to change the format of the border talks in order to keep it confined bilaterally to the Eastern and middle sectors and expand it to a trilateral issue involving India, China and Pakistan in the Western sector. The exclusion of the border in the Jammu & Kashmir sector from its estimate of the total length of the border is another indication that it does not recognise India's claims of sovereignty over Jammu & Kashmir.

This has come in the wake of its decision to stop issuing regular visas to Indian citizens residing in Jammu & Kashmir and to issue them only stapled visas. It is apparent that this is part of a well thought-out policy of unilaterally changing the ground rules of the border talks. It had earlier allegedly changed the ground rules in the Eastern sector by going back on a prior understanding with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the border should be demarcated in such a manner as not to affect populated areas. It is now going back on its previous stand in the Western sector by seeking to challenge India's locus standi in view of its dispute with Pakistan.

Even at the risk of a further delay in the exercise to solve the border dispute, India should not agree to any change in the ground rules which would restrict the border talks only to the Eastern and middle sectors and exclude the Western sector on the ground that India has a dispute over this area with Pakistan.

The writer, a former senior officer of R&AW, is a strategic affairs commentator.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

You cannot help anyone, you can only serve; serve the children of the Lord, serve the Lord Himself, if you have the privilege.

Do service only as a worship. I should see God in the poor, and it is for my salvation that I go and worship them. The poor and the miserable are for our salvation, so that we may serve the Lord, coming in the shape of the diseased, coming in the shape of the lunatic, the leper, and the sinner!

Bold are my words; and let me repeat that it is the greatest privilege of our life that we are allowed to serve the Lord in all these shapes.

Give up the idea that by ruling over others you can do any good to them.

Bring all light into the world. Light, bring light! Let light come unto everyone; the task will not be finished till everyone has reached the Lord.

NDTV:A very popular TV news media is funded by Gospels of Charity in Spain Supports Communism. Recently it has developed a soft corner towards Pakistan because Pakistan President has allowed only this channel to be aired in Pakistan . Indian CEO Prannoy Roy is co-brother of Prakash Karat, General Secretary of the Communist party of India . His wife and Brinda Karat are sisters.

India Today : Which used to be the only national weekly which supported BJP is now bought by NDTV!! Since then the tone has changed drastically and turned into Hindu bashing.

CNN-IBN : This is 100 percent funded by Southern Baptist Church with its branches in all over the world with HQ in US.. The Church annually allocates $800 million for promotion of its channel. Its Indian head is Rajdeep Sardesai and his wife Sagarika Ghosh.

Times Group is owned by Bennet & Coleman. 'World Christian Council' does 80 percent of the Funding, and an Englishman and an Italian equally share balance 20 percent. The Italian Robertio Mindo is a close relative of Sonia Gandhi.

Star TV : It is run by an Australian, who is supported by St. Peters Pontifical Church Melbourne.

Hindustan Times : Owned by Birla Group, but hands have changed since Shobana Bhartiya took over. Presently it is working in Collaboration with Times Group.

The Hindu : English daily, started over 125 years has been recently taken over by Joshua Society, Berne , Switzerland .. N. Ram's wife is a Swiss national.

Indian Express : Divided into two groups. The Indian Express and new Indian Express (southern edition) ACTS Christian Ministries have major stake in the Indian Express and latter is still with the Indian counterpart.

Eeenadu : Still to date controlled by an Indian named Ramoji Rao. Ramoji Rao is connected with film industry and owns a huge studio in Andhra Pradesh.

Andhra Jyothi : The Muslim party of Hyderabad known as MIM along with a Congress Minister has purchased this Telugu daily very recently.

The Statesman : It is controlled by Communist Party of India.

Kairali TV : It is controlled by Communist party of India (Marxist)

Mathrubhoomi : Leaders of Muslim League and Communist leaders have major investment.

Asian Age and Deccan Chronicle : Is owned by a Saudi Arabian Company with its chief Editor M.J. Akbar.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

This is a powerful message in our modern society. We seemed to have lost our bearing & our sense of direction.One young academically excellent person went to apply for a managerial position in a big company.

He passed the first interview, the director did the last interview, made the last decision.

The director discovered from the CV that the youth's academic achievements were excellent all the way, from the secondary school until the postgraduate research, never had a year when he did not score.

The director asked, "Did you obtain any scholarships in school?" the youth answered "none".

The director asked, " Was it your father who paid for your school fees?" The youth answered, "My father passed away when I was one year old, it was my mother who paid for my school fees.

The director asked, " Where did your mother work?" The youth answered, "My mother worked as clothes cleaner. The director requested the youth to show his hands. The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect.

The director said, "I have a request. When you go back today, go and clean your mother's hands, and then see me tomorrow morning.*

The youth felt that his chance of landing the job was high. When he went back, he happily requested his mother to let him clean her hands. His mother felt strange, happy but with mixed feelings, she showed her hands to the kid.

The youth cleaned his mother's hands slowly. His tear fell as he did that. It was the first time he noticed that his mother's hands were so wrinkled, and there were so many bruises in her hands. Some bruises were so painful that his mother shivered when they were cleaned with water.

This was the first time the youth realized that it was this pair of hands that washed the clothes everyday to enable him to pay the school fee. The bruises in the mother's hands were the price that the mother had to pay for his graduation, academic excellence and his future.

After finishing the cleaning of his mother hands, the youth quietly washed all the remaining clothes for his mother.

That night, mother and son talked for a very long time.

Next morning, the youth went to the director's office.

The Director noticed the tears in the youth's eyes, asked: " Can you tell me what have you done and learned yesterday in your house?"

The youth answered, " I cleaned my mother's hand, and also finished cleaning all the remaining clothes'

The Director asked, " please tell me your feelings."

The youth said, Number 1, I know now what is appreciation. Without my mother, there would not the successful me today. Number 2, by working together and helping my mother, only I now realize how difficult and tough it is to get something done. Number 3, I have come to appreciate the importance and value of family relationship.

The director said, " This is what I am looking for to be my manager.
I want to recruit a person who can appreciate the help of others, a person who knows the sufferings of others to get things done, and a person who would not put money as his only goal in life. You are hired.

Later on, this young person worked very hard, and received the respect of his subordinates. Every employee worked diligently and as a team. The company's performance improved tremendously.A child, who has been protected and habitually given whatever he wanted, would develop "entitlement mentality" and would always put himself first. He would be ignorant of his parent's efforts. When he starts work, he assumes that every person must listen to him, and when he becomes a manager, he would never know the sufferings of his employees and would always blame others. For this kind of people, who may be good academically, may be successful for a while, but eventually would not feel sense of achievement. He will grumble and be full of hatred and fight for more. If we are this kind of protective parents, are we really showing love or are we destroying the kid instead?*

You can let your kid live in a big house, eat a good meal, learn piano, watch a big screen TV. But when you are cutting grass, please let them experience it. After a meal, let them wash their plates and bowls together with their brothers and sisters. It is not because you do not have money to hire a maid, but it is because you want to love them in a right way. You want them to understand, no matter how rich their parents are, one day their hair will grow gray, same as the mother of that young person. The most important thing is your kid learns how to appreciate the effort and experience the difficulty and learns the ability to work with others to get things done. You would have forwarded many mails to many and many of them would have back mailed you too...but try and forward this story to as many as possible...this may change somebody's fate...

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Former President APJ Abdul Kalam called him a 'true scientist'. Mitticool, a clay refrigerator that works without electricity had turned the world's attention to its creator Mansukhbhai Prajapati, a craftsman based in Gujarat . Presenting the national award to Mansukhbhai in 2009, President Pratibha Patil appreciated his work and asked him for a Mitticool.

Scientists and journalists from across the world have visited his unit to see how he makes eco-friendly products at a low cost.

A school drop-out, he has achieved a feat that many in the world envy today. The simple and unassuming Mansukhbhai is not keen on money. His ambition is to make more low-cost and eco-friendly products for the masses.

"I failed in the tenth standard. But I was not disappointed as I knew that I was capable of making something new," says Mansukhbhai who holds a patent for Mitticool.

People who considered him as incapable, now look up to him. They say, "you are the pride of our community!"He has been popularising earthen products since 1988. The only drawback for him is the lack of stores to sell them. The products are mostly available in Gujarat and in some stores in Mumbai and Pune only.

Besides, the low-cost fridge, he has developed a water filter, non-stick tava and a pressure cooker all made of clay. And he has many more innovative ideas.

Image: Mansukhbhai's father at work.The beginningPottery has been the Prajapati family's traditional business. Mansukhbhai's family belonged to Morbi in Rajkot district.However, his father gave up the profession as it was not getting them any money. It was all hard work without much gain. Image: Mansukhbhai receives the National Award from President Pratibha Patil.However, Mansukhbhai knew he needed to think differently and make innovative products. He took a loan of Rs 30,000 and started a small factory. Image: Water filter. His only regret is that because of poor marketing his products are not reaching out to many people. He, however, makes it a point to parcel products to people who are willing to deposit money in his bank account.Image: Non-stick pan. Later in 2005, he started the non-stick tava (pan) business. "My wife could not buy a non-stick tava as it was costly. So I thought many people would be facing the same problem. Image: Mitticool fridge. "When a foreign delegation came to meet me, we cooked food in clay vessels and served them in clay plates. They were very impressed and happy with our healthy approach."In 2009, he made the clay pressure cooker. "It comes with a whistle too," he remarks. About 500 cookers have been sold so far.

He had to take a loan of about Rs 10 lakh (Rs 1 million) for the Mitticool project. He is still repaying the debt. Image: Mansukhbhai with his products.It takes 10 people to make a fridge in one day. Made from clay, the refrigerator can store water, fruits, vegetables for 8 days and milk for one day. The upper part of the refrigerator stores water, while the bottom unit has space for fruits, vegetables and milk.At present, he sells the clay fridges at Rs 2,500, at his unit. Most of the sales outside Gujarat are done during exhibitions. Image: The popular clay pressure cooker."I have also been getting lot of calls from the US . It is amazing to see so much interest from abroad," he says happily.About 20 units of Mitticool have been exported to the UK , Africa and Nairobi . He has now been invited to Africa to set up a unit there. "I have not committed anything but the most important thing is the soil. Gujarat has the best soil for pottery," he points out. Image: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi checks the products. The recognition Mansukhbhai had never imagined that his products would win him so many accolades. Nothing can be as rewarding as such compliments. Money is nothing compared to people's appreciation. "Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi knows me by my name. He has been very supportive and told me to approach him for any problem," he says.He says well-known activist and performer Mallika Sarabhai recently remarked that he should be made Gujarat 's brand ambassador.Image: Mansukhbhai to be on Discovery Channel He also enjoyed doing a shooting for a programme which will be aired on Discovery Channel."A team from the Discovery Channel took me around India . I enjoyed the trip. It was a wonderful experience. I had never Image: Clay artifacts.His goalMansukhbhai wants every Indian to have access to his products. There is very little awareness about the products though I try to participate in 2-3 exhibitions every year. "I wish I could strike a deal with a retail store like Big Bazaar to get better visibility. I am sure if more people use our products, it will create more awareness about such low-cost products that are a healthy and cost effective alternative in the long run."Advice to entrepreneurs His advice to budding entrepreneurs is: Never think about failures. Never give up. Put your heart and soul into what you want to do. Always follow the right path and have patience. Keep working hard. If you wish to contact himDial: 02828 221156

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Nations, nation-states, religions and civilizations in their entirety have been irretrievably wiped off the face of the earth by Islam and the Church; while there is no vestige of pre-Islamic and pre-Christian religions in Rome, Greece, America and Africa, the Hindu nation, even after the combined onslaught of Islam, the Church and Nehruvian secularism, has emerged with its civilization, religion and culture intact. If anything, the surge in Hindu determination to preserve Hindu dharma and protect the Hindu nation from further predatory Abrahamic onslaught is only growing stronger.

Notwithstanding the yet floundering sense of nation and nationhood afflicting English-educated Hindus since 1885 when the Indian National Congress was created, and English-educated dark-white Hindus who considered serving in colonial administration and the Bar and Judiciary to be high honour, one Indian court while acknowledging that the Ramjanmabhumi belongs to Hindus, however delivered a fork-tongued judgment on September 30, 2010. Even as they allowed the Janmabhumi to be returned to the Hindus, two of the three judges, one Muslim and one Hindu, handed over one-third of ownership rights to Muslims, sure proof of the persistent floundering Hindu consciousness, palpable fear of standing up to Muslim violence and our propensity to grandstand to the international community, our commitment to secularism.

The territory of Ayodhya, land of the Ikshvakus and far older than Srirama, was not for the judges of Allahabad High Court to divide and distribute; juxtaposed against Hindu right to the Janmabhumi in Ayodhya, the Muslim claim to the site of 'Babur's mosque' is bizarre to be polite. Just as surreal and untenable would be Christian claims to Al Aqsa, Muslim claims to Bethlehem and Jewish claims to the Kabah in Mecca. Our lawyers, judges and politicians who play God as a matter of right with the destiny of the Hindu nation, must travel to Rome, Greece and Egypt for a better understanding of their own responsibility to preserve the timeless Hindu religion and civilization on its territory.

At the heart of Athens stands the Temple of Olympian Zeus. This majestic temple, which was repeatedly razed to the ground in numerous wars, was ordered to be rebuilt by Antiochos IV, the king of Syria in 2nd century BC. However, Antiochos died soon thereafter and the temple was completed by the Roman Emperor Hadrian in 131 AD. Of the 104 columns which adorned the temple, each one standing loftily at 17 meters, only 16 remain as ruins of an ancient religion and civilization, now forever dead.

The Temple of Poseidon, the god of the seas, standing on a promontory in Sounion, the southernmost tip of the Attica peninsula, has fared no better. The ruins of this once powerful temple and the remnants of a wall belonging to an ancient fort are all that remain of an important period in Athenian history. Aegeus, king of Athens (the Aegean Sea bears his name) threw himself from atop the Sounion cliff into the sea in despair when he saw the ship carrying his son Theseus returning from Crete with a black sail instead of white, which meant that his son Theseus had been killed in the battle with the Minotaur. The Temple of Poseidon was the beacon and sanctuary of Athens' sea-faring warriors, fishermen, and traders alike.

Of the 42 magnificent marble columns in the temple, only 18 remain today. It is the same wretched story across Rome, Florence, Venice, Athens and Delphi. Temples to Zeus, Apollo, Athena, Poseidon, Saturn, Mars, Mercury and Venus, all made of Parian and Pentelic marble, have been reduced to rubble, to broken stones, desolate pillars and lonely columns, disfigured deities and empty prayer halls, all standing accusingly under the open sky. Of the once all-powerful Delphi Oracle, there is no sign.

The Propylaea, Parthenon, the Erectheion on the Acropolis, temples to Athena Nike and Apollo in Athens and Delphi, the Roman Forum, Caesar's grave and the Roman Pantheon with its temples to several gods and goddesses, have been destroyed, plundered, looted, mutilated not only by Persians, Goths, Visigoths and Vandals, but also by early Christians, medieval and post-medieval Popes, and by Turkish Islamic hordes; and of course the accursed Lord Elgin. Now we know the etymology for 'vandalism'. Beginning from the 3rd century AD and until the present day, the Church has planted the cross in temples, shrines and other monuments belonging to other faiths. Thus we can see the tragicomic cross in the Roman Pantheon, in the Roman Agora, in Hadrian's Library, in a small pre-Christian shrine across the Loch Ness and of course in the Sri Kapaleeswarar Temple in Santhome, Chennai.

Damiano, my guide who conducted me across the Roman Forum and the Pantheon is a student of History and History of Art. To a pointed question addressed to him privately about the tonnes of missing marbles and bronzes of his country's history and religion, Damiano remarked bitingly, that if I had a discerning eye, I would see entire marble canopies, uprooted pillars, pediments, columns, marble and bronze sculptures in the churches across Italy, in the Vatican, in private collections put together from plunder and public auctions in the homes of the rich and infamous around the world. Of course, he added bitterly, if you travel to Paris and London, you will see most of the plundered history of Rome, Greece and Egypt in the Louvre and British Museum; which I did.

All of this has a bearing on the judgment on Ramjanmabhumi and its significance for this nation. The passionate desire of the people of Rome and Greece to preserve the wretched ruins, their relentless battle to reclaim the priceless items of their pre-Christian heritage now housed in museums outside their countries and bring them home to where they belong, is rooted in the primordial need of man and nations to root their self-identities in an illustrious past, to root national self-identity to an ancient civilization; more so when the past was a far superior civilization which gave brilliant expression not only in the creative arts but also in systems of philosophy and law. The Roman and Greek civilizations, like the Hindu civilization, were both sensuous and cerebral.

When Athens built its modern, contemporary Academy of Science, it placed towering statues of Athena and Apollo at either end. Sitting majestically at the entrance of the University of Athens are Socrates and Plato while the walls are adorned by stunningly beautiful friezes of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Archimedes, Hippocrates, Homer, Sophocles and Euripides with anthropomorphic figures of Rhetoric, Law, History, Philosophy and Poetics. Not a sign of Christianity or the Church anywhere. And yet, one of the first acts of Emperor Justine, soon after Greece became a Christian country, was to ban the teaching of Law and Philosophy in his Christian kingdom! The Church has always destroyed not only the body but also the mind of her victims.

The Greeks and Romans today are seeking to live in a past they have rendered illegitimate and soulless. The tragedy of the people of Rome and Greece is that they want to re-connect with the same gods whom they and the religion to which they owe allegiance today, have damned as 'pagan' and unfit for worship. They want the body without the soul; they want the temples to be reconstructed, but in museums; they want the gods to adorn their monuments but they do not want to place these gods inside the temples for worship. The Romans and Greeks want their past in disconnected pieces.

The lesson that our lawyers, judges and politicians need to learn from the tragedy of Rome, Greece and Egypt is that while pre-Islamic and pre-Christian kings destroyed the temples of their enemies in wars, the same temples would be re-built again and again and yet again and the gods re-installed for worship. But that which Islam and Christianity have destroyed over 2000 years has not been rebuilt and revived. The destruction is final and the past irretrievable. And that is why reclaiming Ayodhya is an important battle in the war of the Hindu nation. Reclaiming, not just the Ramjanmabhumi but Ayodhya, will signal the beginning of the Hindu nation's war to correct gross injustices perpetrated in the name of the Abrahamic religions. The judgment of the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court is the first move in this battle.

Hindus not only want their gods and goddesses in their temples, they also want to get back those temples still in the custody of Islam and the Church. Hindus want their gods in temples, where they belong and not as statues in public spaces bereft of divinity, which is where they will soon be if Hindus lack the courage to protect the Hindu nation.

The author is editor, www.vigilonline.comThe article war written for the Diwali Special edition of Organiser weekly

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Christianity's contributions mostly negative, Americans say

(RNS) When asked about Christianity's recent contributions to society, Americans cited more negatives than benefits, according to a new survey.

The negative contribution cited most was hatred or violence in the name of Jesus, according to the Barna Group survey. Other frequently cited examples included opposition to gay marriage and the Roman Catholic Church's sex abuse scandal.

The positive contribution mentioned most was Christians' helping the poor, as well as evangelism and influencing the country's values.

"Overall, there was a more extensive and diverse list of complaints about Christians and their churches than there was of examples of the benefits they have provided to society," said the Barna Group, a Christian firm that researches U.S. faith and culture, in a report released Monday (Oct. 25).

Researchers, who asked open-ended questions, found that one in four respondents could not name a single positive contribution made by Christians in recent years to American society. Just 12 percent could not think of a single negative contribution.

The findings were based on telephone interviews Aug. 16-22 with a random sample of 1,000 U.S. adults and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.

Don't pity us, Arundhati – not yet

Insofar as putting thoughts into words go, I guess I'm not really qualified to take up an issue with Arundhati Roy; she's a globally acknowledged, indeed, acclaimed writer, while I am no more than an inconsequential rarely-read salaried cog in the gigantic wheels of the print media. Having said that, I am very clear that I don't want my share of the accumulated pity that she thinks the nation collectively merits. So, here's my inadequate submission:

Arundhati has said that she "spoke about justice for the people of Kashmir who live under one of the most brutal military occupations in the world; for Kashmiri Pandits who live out the tragedy of having been driven out of their homeland; for Dalit soldiers killed in Kashmir whose graves I visited on garbage heaps in their villages in Cuddalore; for the Indian poor who pay the price of this occupation in material ways and who are now learning to live in the terror of what is becoming a police state."

I disagree with the effortless branding of Kashmir as "one of the most brutal military occupations in the world" – it is not pleasant, today, I am sure, but from 1948 to say, at least 1988, a period of well over four decades, Kashmir was a part of what we consider India – merged, integrated, acceded, depends on whom you ask – and for those four decades it was not part of India on the strength of a "brutal military occupation". Unlike German soldiers marching into Poland or Chinese troops invading Tibet, India did not have to "invade" Kashmir and then hold it from Day One by administering martial law or its equivalent. I don't mean to sound cheesy, but for years and years Bollywood didn't churn out those scenes of a beautiful, peaceful, idyllic Kashmir on the strength of shooting crews backed by hundreds of 'brutal soldiers' trying to create a pretence of normal, peaceful life. That's just how it was. Someone worked to change it. The question is – who?

Punjab, too, faced a decade of insurgency, something which we forget all too easily today. But it wasn't 'occupied' prior to that, it isn't 'occupied' today. Kashmir has faced more than a decade of insurgency, agreed, but to portray it as if everyone in Kashmir for all time has been subject to "one of the most brutal military occupations" does no justice to the intellect which Arundhati obviously possesses – more so in the context of the fact that the other friendly democratic states that border Kashmir, namely Pakistan and China, have no noticeable tradition of tender loving care extended by their respective militaries to people who question whether they belong to those states.

Having lived and worked in J&K for many years, as an editor, I have carried stories about remote hilly villages where terrorists surrounded hamlets of Gujjars and slit the throats of two dozen villagers to indicate the price of 'cooperation' extended to security forces patrolling the hills. When Bill Clinton came to India, we saw the carnage of 36 Sikhs in Chatttisinghpora – something which Arundhati's comrade in arms, Syed Ali Shah Geeelani, incredibly enough, still reiterates was 'done by India to defame Kashmiris'. There is no dearth of such instances – I quote only a couple to remind us all that Kashmir's brutal occupation is not quite as much of an innocent-lambs-being-led-to-slaughter scenario as Ms Roy perhaps sees it as.

When Arundhati says that she speaks for justice "for Kashmiri Pandits who live out the tragedy of having been driven out of their homeland", it is too ridiculous to even merit comment, given that she wants that justice to come while she shares a dias with Geelani. They were 'driven out of their homeland', Arundhati, by the brutal military occupiers of Kashmir, or by someone else? Driven out by whom? Why leave it to delightful ambiguities here? I do not know if Kashmiri Pandits give any weightage to her speaking ostensibly on their behalf. And the statistical chances of Pandits returning to Kashmir if the brutal military occupation ends tomorrow are slimmer than of Arundhati joining the BJP.

Arundhati seeks justice, too, "for Dalit soldiers killed in Kashmir whose graves I visited on garbage heaps in their villages in Cuddalore." This is slick if you are writing a column for a foreign audience, the way Aussie 'experts' wrote on the caste composition of the Indian cricket team during the Bhajji-Symonds spat, but, hello, "Dalit soldiers" killed in Kashmir die in situations different from upper caste soldiers or Sikh soldiers or Muslim soldiers – or local, Kashmiri Muslim policemen? Don't insult our intelligence, and the Army's basic DNA, with this line of argument. You wish to be the defender of the rights of those oppressed in Kashmir, of the Pandits, and of the "Dalit soldiers" from among the troops who die there day in and day out? Sorry, this is just not real, it's just not genuine, even if it is possibly good homework for global awards coming your way as defender of the rights of all oppressed sections in this part of the world.

Arundhati's also looking for justice "for the Indian poor who pay the price of this occupation in material ways and who are now learning to live in the terror of what is becoming a police state", but I have little comment to offer on this because, frankly, it is a little too esoteric for me to understand the point. I understand that India is in selective ways and selective zones a police state of sorts, but how insensitive policing in interior Bihar is attributable to Kashmir's status – and how Azadi will address that – must have a subtle connect which my everyday, non literary mind has singularly failed to grasp. But then, we are all not blessed with equal talents.

Anyway, this is not one of Ms Roy's essays, so I daren't type away endlessly. I'll conclude.

You say, Arundhati, "pity the nation that has to silence its writers for speaking their minds. Pity the nation that needs to jail those who ask for justice, while communal killers, mass murderers, corporate scamsters, looters, rapists, and those who prey on the poorest of the poor, roam free." I say, you are jumping the gun. Neither have you been silenced at any point for speaking your mind – distasteful as it may be to many when it veers towards applauding anyone willing to kill an Indian soldier, be it a Naxal in Chattisgarh or a terrorist in Kashmir – nor does the nation need to be pitied. Yet. Writers and dissidents are silenced, in friendlier and I suppose less 'brutal' societies such as Pakistan, China, Myanmar, but the very fact that you can issue statements and notes challenging the same to be done here is, perhaps, the strongest negation of those statements. Yes, many murderers, scamsters and rapists still roam free, and no, we aren't proud of that in the least, but no, you haven't been jailed for asking for justice. And I don't see that happening. Truth be told, I think you don't see it happening either.

So while one gives all credit to your intellectual prowess, I don't think this overdose of pity for the nation is quite deserved. It's a lot of hyperbole. As part of 'the nation', even if just one-billionth, I respectfully wish to return my proportion of pity offered by you, Ms Roy. Please accept it. And while you're at it, pass it on to Mr Geelani; I daresay he needs it more.

What the Islamic Invaders Did to India. by Rizwan Salim... What the Islamic Invaders Did to Indiaby Rizwan Salim12 Nov, 2007On the anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition (December 6, 1992), it is important for Hindus (and Muslims) to understand the importance of the event in the context of Hindustan's history, past and recent, present and the future.

Savages at a very low level of civilisation and no culture worth the name, from Arabia and west Asia, began entering India from the early century onwards. Islamic invaders demolished countless Hindu temples, shattered uncountable sculpture and idols, plundered innumerable palaces and forts of Hindu kings, killed vast numbers of Hindu men and carried off Hindu women. This story, the educated-and a lot of even the illiterate Indians-know very well. History books tell it in remarkable detail. But many Indians do not seem to recognise that the alien Muslim marauders destroyed the historical evolution of the earth's most mentally advanced civilisation, the most richly imaginative culture, and the most vigorously creative society.

It is clear that India at the time when Muslim invaders turned towards it (8 to 11th century) was the earth's richest region for its wealth in precious and semi-precious stones, gold and silver, religion and culture, and its fine arts and letters. Tenth century Hindustan was also too far advanced than its contemporaries in the East and the West for its achievements in the realms of speculative philosophy and scientific theorising, mathematics and knowledge of nature's workings. Hindus of the early medieval period were unquestionably superior in more things than the Chinese, the Persians (including the Sassanians), the Romans and the Byzantines of the immediate proceeding centuries. The followers of Siva and Vishnu on this subcontinent had created for themselves a society more mentally evolved-joyous and prosperous too-than had been realised by the Jews, Christians, and Muslim monotheists of the time. Medieval India, until the Islamic invaders destroyed it, was history's most richly imaginative culture and one of the five most advanced civilisations of all times.

Look at the Hindu art that Muslim iconoclasts severely damaged or destroyed. Ancient Hindu sculpture is vigorous and sensual in the highest degree-more fascinating than human figural art created anywhere else on earth. (Only statues created by classical Greek artists are in the same class as Hindu temple sculpture). Ancient Hindu temple architecture is the most awe-inspiring, ornate and spell-binding architectural style found anywhere in the world. (The Gothic art of cathedrals in France is the only other religious architecture that is comparable with the intricate architecture of Hindu temples). No artist of any historical civilisation have ever revealed the same genius as ancient Hindustan's artists and artisans.

Their minds filled with venom against the idol-worshippers of Hindustan, the Muslims destroyed a large number of ancient Hindu temples. This is a historical fact, mentioned by Muslim chroniclers and others of the time. A number of temples were merely damaged and remained standing. But a large number-not hundreds but many thousands-of the ancient temples were broken into shreds of cracked stone. In the ancient cities of Varanasi and Mathura, Ujjain and Maheshwar, Jwalamukhi and Dwarka, not one temple survives whole and intact from the ancient times.

The wrecking of Hindu temples went on from the early years of the 8th century to well past 1700 AD a period of almost 1000 years. Every Muslim ruler in Delhi (or Governor of Provinces) spent most of his time warring against Hindu kings in the north and the south, the east and the west, and almost every Muslim Sultan and his army commanders indulged in largescale destructions of Hindu temples and idols. They also slaughtered a lot of Hindus. It is easy to conclude that virtually every Hindu temple built in the ancient times is a perfect work of art. The evidence of the ferocity with which the Muslim invaders must have struck at the sculptures of gods and goddesses, demons and apsaras, kings and queens, dancers and musicians is frightful. At so many ancient temples of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, for example, shattered portions of stone images still lie scattered in the temple courtyards. Considering the fury used on the idols and sculptures, the stone-breaking axe must have been applied to thousands upon thousands of images of hypnotic beauty.

Giving proof of the resentment that men belonging to an inferior civilisation feel upon encountering a superior civilisation of individuals with a more refined culture, Islamic invaders from Arabia and western Asia broke and burned everything beautiful they came across in Hindustan. So morally degenerate were the Muslim Sultans that, rather than attract Hindu "infidels" to Islam through force of personal example and exhortation, they just built a number of mosques at the sites of torn down temples-and foolishly pretended they had triumphed over the minds and culture of the Hindus. I have seen stones and columns of Hindu temples incorportated into the architecture of several mosques, including the Jama Masjid and Ahmed Shah Masjid in Ahmedabad; the mosque in the Uparkot fort of Junagadh (Gujarat) and in Vidisha (near Bhopal); the Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra right next to the famous dargah in Ajmer-and the currently controversial Bhojshala "mosque" in Dhar (near Indore). Hindu culture was at its imaginative best and vigorously creative when the severely-allergic- to-images Muslims entered Hindustan. Islamic invaders did not just destroy countless temples and constructions but also suppressed cultural and religious practices; damaged the pristine vigour of Hindu religion, prevented the intensification of Hindu culture, debilitating it permanently, stopped the development of Hindu arts ended the creative impulse in all realms of thought and action, damaged the people's cultural pride, disrupted the transmission of values and wisdom, cultural practices and tradition from one generation to the next; destroyed the proper historical evolution of Hindu kingdoms and society, affected severely the acquisition of knowledge, research and reflection and violated the moral basis of Hindu society. The Hindus suffered immense psychic damage. The Muslims also plundered the wealth of the Hindu kingdoms, impoverished the Hindu populace, and destroyed the prosperity of Hindustan.

Gaze in wonder at the Kailas Mandir in the Ellora caves and remember that it is carved out of a solid stone hill, an effort that (inscriptions say) took nearly 200 years. This is art as devotion. The temple built by the Rashtrakuta kings (who also built the colossal sculpture in the Elenhanta caves off Mumbai harbour) gives proof of the ancient Hindus' religious fervor.

But the Kailas temple also indicated a will power, a creative imagination, and an intellect eager to take on the greatest of artistic challenges.

The descendants of those who built the magnificent temples of Bhojpur and Thanjavur, Konark and Kailas, invented mathematics and brain surgery, created mindbody disciplines (yoga) of astonishing power, and built mighty empires would almost certainly have attained technological superiority over Europe.

It is not just for "political reasons" that Hindus want to build grand temples at the sites of the (wrecked) Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi, and the Mathura idgah. The efforts of religion-intoxicate d and politically active Hindus to rebuild the Ram Mandir, the Kashi Vishwanath Mandir, and the Krishna Mandir are just three episodes m a one-thousand year long Hindu struggle to reclaim their culture and religion from alien invaders.

The demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya on 6 December 1992 was just one episode in the millennial struggle of the Hindus to repossess their religion-centered culture and nation. Meanwhile, hundreds of ancient Hindu temples forsaken all over Hindustan await the reawakening of Hindu cultural pride to be repaired or rebuilt and restored to their original, ancient glory.

This article was published in Hindustan Times on December 28, 1997____________ _________ _________ __

Rizwan Salim is a reviewer of New York Tribune, Capitol Hill reporter, assistant editor of American Sentinel.